I bought my Skoda last November, my previous car was a Land Rover Discovery. As you can probably imagine potholes were no issue to a Discovery (fuel ).

We live slightly out in the country but in general I am finding way more potholes on the roads and my car cannot take them. Just had my second puncture yesterday :sweat: and the tyre is wrecked, a complete replacement needed. Thats the second in 3 months. I will go after the Council but I still need to sort my tyres.

My Skoda has 225/40 R18 tyres, it is a 2010 plate Superb Estate

I assume I cannot put 'thicker' tyres on the alloys I have?

Help and advice appreciated. I am a complete numpty when it comes to cars so be as basic as you want.

TIA

You could go down to the 16" alloys, if it's really bad. 18s may look nice but they're not very practical. The higer profile tyres for the 16s will be cheaper so may offset the cost of the alloys. But check with your insurer too.

You can't just put higher profile tyres on the 18s as th rolling radius will be wrong, your speedo will be out, the gearing will be wrong and they may rub on the arches. The insurer will also not like it.

Thanks, best place to look for alloys? Fleabay? Any idea what 4 x 16" alloys would cost?

What tread depth do you have? Worn tyres are more susceptible to punctures?

It also helps to drive 'on the racing line' and not 'in the marbles'.

For the profile of the tyres the pressures recommended are also quite low compared with the same size of tyre on the likes of Audi and BMW. I have ofter felt that this leaves the car more prone to pothole damage. Saying that the only puncture I have had is from picking up a screwnail with my snow tyres which are always more vulnerable to debris.

What tread depth do you have? Worn tyres are more susceptible to punctures?

It also helps to drive 'on the racing line' and not 'in the marbles'.

Threads are fine, the depth of the tyres is the issue, they look flat they are so thin, I am not getting punctures, I am getting shredded tyres.

Not sure where you live but genuinely the roads where we are just are dreadful. Yesterdays pothole was so deep that in the rain it had filled with water and actually wasn't visible. It wasn't until I had gone over it, and not fast, that it was to late.

No tyre is immune to pot holes.

If that bad, as suggested get some 16" and go after the council

Hi Finding my feet,

My superb Combi is an L&k and also has 225 45 18's I hit a pothole Friday night on the A48 (I'm in Cardiff too). I looks as if I got away with the tyre damage is minimal but it does worry me.

Wheels look great though - be a pity to change them.

Huw

Have similar issues with potholes round here, particularly with our Monte Carlo (205/40 R17). So in the winter when the roads are at there worst we switch to winter tyres on a smaller rims in line with Skoda recommendations (195/55 R15). Gives us both far better grip and they are more fogiving a ride, oh and less expensive to replace.

For a Superb you will need (Skoda recommendations);

Rims 7Jx16 ET45

Tyres 205/55 R16 94V

Depends on your preference but if damage is a issue then bog standard steel rims might be a better option to alloys and 4 steels can cost about the same as one alloy. From memory steels in the correct size from the dealer will be about £45 a corner after haggling.

Alloys then new Skoda suitable for a Superb on fleebay;

http://www.ebay.co.u...984.m1438.l2649

TP

Edited 14 April, 201313 yr by The Plumber

What was the damage Huw?

@The Plumber Thanks, I did warn, numpty alert. Looks ain't my thing, price is!! Steels not an issue, will look for them

@Huwcymru I live in fear of any bump in the road, Cardiff is awful at the moment and we cannot avoid country roads and we have to venture into RCT at times, thats even worse.

New Skoda steel rims for a superb on fleebay, set of 4 delivered £189.99 (same as I have for our Yeti)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-SKODA-VW-SEAT-SET-FOUR-7J-X-16-STEEL-WINTER-WHEELS-3C0601027M03C-/380406886271?pt=UK_CarParts_Acc_Wheels_tyres_Trims_Car_Rims_ET&hash=item5892046f7f

TP

Thanks, not 100% sure this will fit a Skoda Superb Estate CK10 reg. Its the Estate we have not the Hatchback. Seems to indicate they won't?

Yes the twin-door and estate are the same; all run the same rims, brakes etc. Also have a look at the filler flap of the car, often gives alternative tyre sizes you can use, which in turn relate to rim size.

If still in doubt check with your dealer or contact the dealer who's advertising the above.

Hope of help,

TP

@The Plumber You're a gent thanks. Will def ring that dealer in the morning

Very slight damage to the wall - 1mm thick triangle about 20mm x 5mm. No bulge no apparent damage to cords etc. Need to find an honest tyre fitter to get an opinion on it by removing the tyre. I've put it on the rear until I can get someone to look at it.

Very slight damage to the wall - 1mm thick triangle about 20mm x 5mm. No bulge no apparent damage to cords etc. Need to find an honest tyre fitter to get an opinion on it by removing the tyre. I've put it on the rear until I can get someone to look at it.

The rear is the worst place for it. If it goes/blows out it'll be much harder to control at speed.

Personally I'd not consider that minor damage and get it replaced ASAP. Until then drive like miss Daisy and stick to 50 or less.

Its interesting that no-one has mentioned tyre pressures as yet.

It is vital, with the current trend for ultra low profile tyres i.e. the 225/40 18s as fitted to the Superb and Octavia, that tyre pressures are not allowed to go 'soft'.

Mind you, even the correct pressures do not make you immune for getting the short sidewall squashed / pinched between the edge of a pothole and the rim of the wheel.

What will help though is to increase the tyre pressures a bit. I habitually ran the 225/40 18s on my Octavia @ 2.35bar all round (+ 2.5bar front and + 1.5 bar rear IIRC) without any issue and I'm sure it helped the tyres not getting damaged; it also tightened the handling a bit without any detrimental effect on the ride.

For the OP; as an alternative to using 205/55 16s I'd suggest you just come down to 225/45 17 which is a compatible size to 225/40 18 and was used on earlier versions of the Octavia II L&K / vRS.

I could recoup my cost in doing all this by selling my 18" alloys, however I assume I should hold on to them as selling the car with 16" steels in about 2-3 years time won't be such a good idea?

I could recoup my cost in doing all this by selling my 18" alloys, however I assume I should hold on to them as selling the car with 16" steels in about 2-3 years time won't be such a good idea?

Assumption correct.

You ought to keep your 18s to be able to sell the car in OEM spec.

Been to an independent tyre fitter to get a second opinion - I used to fit tyres to earn pocket money as a kid so I was reasonable confident about the tyre - the fitter agreed with me but we got the tyre off the rim & double checked - all OK>

By the way Doleawg, we to sold a Discovery (in November) and replaced it and a Saab convertible with the Skoda a couple of weeks ago.

Regarding tyre pressures both my fronts were at 30psi which is what Skoda recommends, looking at Audi sites though, they seem to use slightly higher pressures - (although some of the recommendations for 40 section tyres seemed low to me).

Anyway I've decided to run the fronts at 35psi and vary the rears with load and see how it goes for a while. During daylight it's usually OK , if you can see you can dodge em, i got caught at night on an A road!!

Huw

Anyway I've decided to run the fronts at 35psi and vary the rears with load and see how it goes for a while. During daylight it's usually OK , if you can see you can dodge em, i got caught at night on an A road!!

Huw

Good work all round and sensible move on the tyre pressures. I'd put the rears @ 35psi as well and vary up if fully laden.

Its fine dodging potholes; unless its raining. Moral; don't drive trough puddles.

I've also been through the pain of frequently ruined tyres on my 225/40 R18 wheels, mainly potholes (or in some cases trenches)!

Increasing the air pressure slightly definitely helps. You'll get a firmer, slightly less comfortable ride but it'll prevent the sidewalls getting crushed when you hit an unexpected pothole.

In winter, When the roads are particularly bad I'm running 205/55 R16 winter tyres, much softer and bigger sidewalls - can bounce through the potholes no problem!

Picked the 4x wheels (ex Audi A3) off eBay for £50. My advice is keep your eyes peeled for a bargain before next winter

Yesterdays pothole was so deep that in the rain it had filled with water and actually wasn't visible. It wasn't until I had gone over it, and not fast, that it was to late.

As a rule you should try to avoid driving through water unless you are certain it doesn't hide anything nasty.

Sometimes you can spot a pothole under a puddle because there is gravel extending beyond the edge of the puddle.